Earthquake Update 20 – Canterbury District Health Board

Saturday March 5, 2011. 5.30 pmEARTHQUAKE UPDATE 20
CANTERBURY DISTRICT HEALTH BOARDThis link
will take you to important health information. http://www.cdhb.govt.nz/communications/earthquake/documents/Important%20Health%20Information.pdfor go to our homepage www.cdhb.govt.nz to check previous
Earthquake Updates. Or you can follow us on www.facebook.comMSD Emergency
Welfare Centres Pioneer Stadium welfare centre is
the sole remaining Ministry of Social Development (MSD)
welfare centre, open 24 hours a day seven days a week for
the foreseeable future. Pioneer Stadium can take up to 600
people, had 101 yesterday, expecting another 100 today.
Non-MSD welfare centres are established in Ashburton,
Rapaki, Rehua Marae, and Tuahiwi. Six Recovery
Assistance and Information Centres (RAICs) will open in the
eastern suburbs and to offer information and services. More
recovery assistance centres will open next week. City
accessThe Central City cordon will be reduced on
Sunday 6 March 2011. The Central City has been organised
into four Green Zones on the outer edges of the existing
cordon and one Red Zone in the very centre.From 2pm on
Sunday 6 March, Green Zones 1 and 2 (south east and south
west of the city) will be opened for public access and the
cordon will be reduced. The public are urged only to travel
into the area if they need to access their properties or
homes. This is to ensure residents and business owners have
priority access to the area.Power 14,000
customers (5%) remain to be reconnected to power and are
expected to be by end of Sunday, March 6. Brighton
substation is operational again. All 51 ‘zone’ (main)
substations are now operational.Water 78% of
homes are now connected to mains water. The aim is to have
90% reconnected by mid-March. The city’s water supply
remains chlorinated but please continue to boil all water
used for drinking, teeth cleaning and food preparation. Over
1000 water tests have been carried out, but 30 have still
failed so it’s important that you continue to boil
drinking water. Chlorination will cease once repairs have
been completed, and the water supply is safe. The city's
waste water system is proving difficult to repair and little
progress has been made so far. Details of locations are
of water collection available at http://canterburyearthquake.org.nz/water-tanker-timetable-for-deliveries/.
Residents must take their own containers and remember to
boil water before use.You can also collect hand
sanitiser, health information and facemasks from the
tankers.Waste managementFrom 7-11 March green
organics bins (organic waste only) and red rubbish bins will
be collected across the city, even if it is not the usual
red bin collection day. Human waste (solids only) can be put
in the red bin but must be well wrapped in paper or a
plastic bag.Christchurch City Council will also resume
its usual collection of the yellow recycling bin this week
according to the normal schedules.Portaloo and
Chemical Toilets A portaloo distribution map can be
found here: http://eqviewer.co.nz/index-portaloos.htmlHeavy
traffic on the roads is causing difficulties in delivering
portaloos and chemical toilets, as well as cleaning and
emptying. A total of 1141 portaloos have so far been
delivered to Christchurch. A further 60 are being delivered
today and another 60 on Monday 7 March.960 portaloos are
due to leave the US over the weekend for delivery to
Christchurch.4000 chemical toilets are in Christchurch
and are being delivered based on need. Another 5000 are due
on Tuesday March 8th.A total of 4000 chemical toilets
have arrived in Christchurch and delivery began on
Wednesday, with an estimated 2000 delivered. A further 5000
will arrive from China on Tuesday 8 March.A further
20,000 chemical toilets have been ordered. These are
currently being manufactured at 1000 per day and will be air
freighted 8000 at a time. It is still to be confirmed when
they will be delivered Storage tanks will be placed at a
central location for people to empty their chemical
toilets.Important public health information 5
March 2011• Boil or treat all water from taps
and tankers before drinking, brushing teeth, or using in
food preparation. Bringing water to the boil is sufficient
to kill bugs. If you cannot boil water, treat it by adding 1
teaspoon of household bleach per 10 litres of water and
leave for 30 minutes. • Waterways are contaminated
with untreated sewage. Avoid contact with rivers, sea
water, ponds, puddles or other surface water. Do not swim,
paddle, fish, or gather shellfish or any other food from
oceans and rivers.• In many parts of the city
sewerage pipes have broken and untreated sewage has mixed
with liquefaction silt. People should avoid silt if they
can, particularly if they don’t have running water to wash
after contact. If people have to work with silt they should
wear water-proof gloves, gumboots and a dust mask; shower or
wash immediately afterwards; and wash clothes
separately.• Take care when disposing of human
waste (faeces, poo, vomit etc). Bury it in your garden
or wrap it well in paper or plastic and put it in your red
bin for collection. Wash your hands immediately after
dealing with any human waste.• Wash your hands
or use hand sanitiser after toileting, and before and after
eating or preparing food. Free hand sanitizer is available
from official water tanker sites.• If you get sick
move to somewhere that has running water at a friend’s
or relative’s place. Running water (for hand washing and
toileting) is important in preventing the spread of
illness.• If you are sick try to limit contact
with other people, do not go to work and do not prepare food
for anyone. The majority of GPs in Christchurch are now
open to treat minor injury or illness. Dial 111 for
emergency medical attention. • Take extreme care
with food – particularly with food that should be
refrigerated. Dispose of smelly, slimy, mouldy or
discoloured food immediately. Do not refreeze food once
power returns.Canterbury
hospitalsChristchurch hospital has 319 patients,
with 8 in Intensive Care. Ashburton has 36 patients, and
Burwood 62. Emergency attendances at Christchurch
Hospital have averaged around 150 a day since last Thursday,
around 80 people a day less than usual. While able to see
anyone who requires emergency medical care, staff thank the
public for keeping the emergency department for
emergencies.All Canterbury District Health Board
buildings – safetyAll hospital buildings have been
checked by independent structural engineers. Other than
those which are closed off or have restricted entry (clearly
marked by tape, cones etc.) the buildings have been assessed
as safe to occupy. ‘Green stickers’ are being placed on
the buildings.Christchurch Hospital Detailed
information on the availability of Christchurch Hospital
services can be found on the Canterbury DHB website www.cdhb.govt.nz or follow us on
www.facebook.com.General Medical patients – one
of the General Medical wards at Christchurch Hospital’s
Riverside building has temporarily relocated to The Princess
Margaret Hospital Ward 3B. Levels four and five of
Riverside block are closed because of water damage sustained
during the earthquake. Some services on those levels four
and five will resume later next week. All patients
currently presenting at Christchurch Hospital who require
care under General Medicine will be transferred to Ward 23
or Ward 26 at Christchurch Hospital, or to 3B at The
Princess Margaret Hospital for their inpatient care. If you
are uncertain about the location of your family member or
friend, please call patient enquiries on 364
0600.Transferred patients – Canterbury patients
transferred to hospitals in other parts of the country are
to remain there in the interim and this arrangement will be
reviewed towards the end of next week. Elective
surgery – Although limited elective surgery will
resume on Monday, March 7, there will be some patients who
are still required to have their surgery performed at other
hospitals. Patients will be contacted regarding
arrangements. Media are not to access Christchurch
Hospital or staff without permission – ALL media
queries must be directed to the Canterbury DHB Strategic
Communications Team. Please phone (03) 337 7390, or 027 502
7523/ 027 531 4796.Vulnerable PeopleA 24-hour
‘Transit Lounge’ has been set up at The Princess
Margaret Hospital, which will triage older vulnerable people
in the community who have high health or disability needs.
The Transit Lounge will provide assessment and coordination
of services. Access to the service is through single point
of entry (SPOE) 337 7765. The families of all older
people transferred out of the region have ALL been
contacted. Alternative arrangements are being made for
children with disabilities who require respite care.
Families are being contacted.
GastroenteritisThere have been 56
notifications of gastroenteritis since February 27. This is
consistent with the number of notifications for this time of
year. The incidence of gastroenteritis remains sporadic,
with no large clusters indicating an outbreak. However, the
number of cases may be under reported and people with
symptoms are urged to seek medical advice. Do not swim
in rivers and beaches where raw sewage may be present.
Locations include all beaches between the Waimakariri River
and Lyttelton Harbour. The affected beaches
include:Spencer BeachWaimairi BeachNorth
BeachNew Brighton BeachSouth Brighton
BeachChristchurch EstuaryThe beaches at Sumner and
ScarboroughTaylor’s Mistake BeachAll beaches in
Lyttelton Harbour.

Free Urgent Medical Treatment
Extended

If you are unwell, visit your General
Practice team. If your health issue is earthquake related,
your visit may be free. This arrangement is in place until
the end of Sunday 13 March.This is being funded by the
South Island DHBs.

The urgent medical care offer is also
being generously matched by major North Island general
practice networks Procare in Auckland, Wellington's Compass
and the Midlands Health Network (covering Taranaki, Waikato,
some of Lakes and Tairawhiti). Christchurch evacuees in the
North Island should ring first to check the initiative is
being offered at their nearest practice.

In recognition
of GPs support, DHBs are waiving the usual deduction on
Canterbury practices when their patients are treated
elsewhere until March 13. General Practices and
PharmaciesNinety four percent of General Practice
Teams in Christchurch are now open, and 93 percent of
pharmacies are open. Demand for pharmacy services has been
high with up to 900 prescriptions a day being processed in
some areas. To find out whether your general practice
team (GP/ Doctor) or local pharmacy is open, ring them
first.If your general practice phone number is not working
or you do not have a usual general practice, ring 365
7777.For emergencies and life threatening conditions
ring 111.AMOSThe ‘A Message Of Support’
(www.AMOS.org.nz) website has been established with the help
of Datam and NZ Post, where messages of support can be
posted for health workers involved in the response to the
Christchurch Earthquake.The website is a response to
many requests from health professionals and others from all
over the world wanting to send messages of support to those
at the frontline. Many people have benefitted directly from
the efforts of staff and often want a way to say thank
you.The site will carry stories about the work people
are doing and visitors can post messages up to 350
characters long on a general site or address it to specific
areas such as the Intensive Care Unit or the Emergency
Department.Through this site, people can also leave
messages for other agencies such as Police, Fire, Red Cross
and Civil Defence. HelplinesACC - people wanting to know what their
entitlements are: 0800 101 996Healthline - health advice 24-hours a day,
seven days a week 0800 611 116 Red Cross-
0800 733 276. People who have relocated outside of
Christchurch are urged to contact the Red
Cross.Urgent mental health advice Psychiatric
Emergency Service on 03 3640 482 or 0800 920
092Urgent Dental Care if you can’t contact
your own dentist 335 4260. After hours 027 683
0679Meals on wheels 337 7797Vulnerable
older people that urgently require assistance because of
health or disability needs should contact Older Persons
Health on 337 7765 for assessment and
adviceRelocated older people – if you are
unable to contact their usual aged residential care provider
to confirm their location, please phone 337 8937 for
information.Dialysis helpline 0800
881919.Ambulance 111 Pegasus 24-hour
medical centre in Bealey Avenue – 365 7777

Check on
your neighbours and keep in touch with family and
friendsAt times like this it’s important to look
out for elderly neighbours and others who live alone.
Emotional responses to the recent crisis
It’s normal to be feeling very stressed at the
moment. Everyone is affected in different ways. Some of us
may feel very anxious or low in spirits. Some of us may feel
it’s hard to function. If you are worried about yourself
or a family member, please talk to someone in your general
practice team. They can call on a wide range of mental
health and counselling services, and more counsellors are
being brought in to help.

Coping strategies -
stress and anxiety The Ministry of Health has created a
series of fact sheets with advice and coping strategies for
people experiencing stress or anxiety in the wake of this
week's tragedy. These can be found on the Ministry's
website - www.moh.govt.nz - under the banner
headline ‘Christchurch Earthquake’Mental
Health Nurses are available to provide support in the
community. Please phone your GP Team for
information.

Canterbury District Health Board (CDHB) is a Christchurch, New Zealand based hospital and healthcare provider for the
Canterbury region of New Zealand. Our region extends from Kekerengu in the North, to Rangitata in the South and Arthurs Pass in the West and comprises the six Territorial Local Authorities of Kaikoura, Hurunui, Waimakariri, Christchurch City, Selwyn and Ashburton.

We collaborate with other health and disability organisations, stakeholders and our community to decide what health and disability services are needed and how to best use the funding we receive from Government to improve, promote and protect the health, wellbeing and independence of our population.

At the Canterbury DHB, our vision is to improve the health and wellbeing of people living in Canterbury.

As David Lange once said, it is almost impossible to get New Zealand to think about Indonesia, the huge nation sitting right on our doorstep.

The visit to this country early next week by Indonesian president Joko Widodo won’t change that situation, even though Widido will be the first major foreign head of state to be hosted by the Ardern government. More>>

The Treasury has revised the child-poverty projections it provided to the Government in December 2017. As outlined in the Treasury’s 17 January media release, the previous estimate was based on code that included a modelling error...More>>

ALSO:

Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters says the New Zealand Government has grave concerns over the use of a chemical nerve agent in the United Kingdom resulting in critically serious injuries to some of those exposed. More>>

ALSO:

The Independent Police Conduct Authority has found that Police were not justified in stopping vehicles at a vehicle checkpoint to identify individuals who had attended an “Exit International” meeting in Lower Hutt on 2 October 2016. More>>

When the book Hit and Run was published in March last year, the Chief of Defence Force Tim Keating held a press conference claiming the SAS had been in a different place on that date... The Defence Force has finally admitted that the “three photographs in the book are of Tirgiran Village”. More>>